Am I the only nostalgic mofo on this site? What the fuck happened to the once proud brotherhood of iron? When did this once bound by a thirst for growth and hunger for improvement bunch of hardcore animals get infiltrated by a bunch of pussified moronic cry babies?

I spent this morning replying to threads about people being threatened in the parking lot because they were using someone's piece of gym equipment, guys refusing to spot one another in the gym and people actually defending this mindless bullshit. Tell me there is hope after all and the glory days will be once more.

I used to walk into a gym and hang around the big boys just to pick up a tip or two. I trained for years before I finally mustered up enough nerves to ask the biggest guy in the gym in the gym if I could please train with him.

The majority of these wannabe lifters nowadays have no fucking respect for the game anymore and are just taking up gym space if you ask me. Why the fuck do you look surprised when I tell you to get the fuck out my way when you are talking to your girl on your cell phone?

If a guy, who is in the midst of a serious work out, asks you to spot him, you spot him when you are ready to do so. And even if he doesn?t ask you, if he gets crushed under a weight and you are nearby, you spot him.

When some young kid comes to you and asks you a few things, don?t be a total jackass and tell him a few basic things to get him on his way.

When someone is just fucking around, tell him to do things right or go home. If you are serious and want to learn, I have no problem helping you along, just come correct and respect those who have come before you.

It is about time we clean this shit up, I am on a fucking war path to grow and improve and will not be taking any prisoners.

Am I the only nostalgic mofo on this site? What the fuck happened to the once proud brotherhood of iron? When did this once bound by a thirst for growth and hunger for improvement bunch of hardcore animals get infiltrated by a bunch of pussified moronic cry babies?

I spent this morning replying to threads about people being threatened in the parking lot because they were using someone's piece of gym equipment, guys refusing to spot one another in the gym and people actually defending this mindless bullshit. Tell me there is hope after all and the glory days will be once more.

I used to walk into a gym and hang around the big boys just to pick up a tip or two. I trained for years before I finally mustered up enough nerves to ask the biggest guy in the gym in the gym if I could please train with him.

The majority of these wannabe lifters nowadays have no fucking respect for the game anymore and are just taking up gym space if you ask me. Why the fuck do you look surprised when I tell you to get the fuck out my way when you are talking to your girl on your cell phone?

If a guy, who is in the midst of a serious work out, asks you to spot him, you spot him when you are ready to do so. And even if he doesn?t ask you, if he gets crushed under a weight and you are nearby, you spot him.

When some young kid comes to you and asks you a few things, don?t be a total jackass and tell him a few basic things to get him on his way.

When someone is just fucking around, tell him to do things right or go home. If you are serious and want to learn, I have no problem helping you along, just come correct and respect those who have come before you.

It is about time we clean this shit up, I am on a fucking war path to grow and improve and will not be taking any prisoners.

1. T-Cell Alpha members will vote to either retain or reject LankyMofo. If a minimum of 67% of the members voting cast a "Yes" vote ("Rejection Quorum"), LankyMofo will be removed from the group. If a Rejection Quorum isn't formed, LankyMofo will be allowed to remain in the group.

2. Voting will take place for 24 hours or until 67% of the total members vote to reject or retain, whichever occurs first.

3. Revoting will not be permitted for 90 days.

4. To reenter the group, a rejected member must do as follows:

a) wait a period of 90 days.

b) after the 90-day period, be tapped in by an existing member in good standing ]]>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 16:54:00 GMThttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5572720Tribunal for: browndisasterhttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5572411
Tribunal guidelines:

1. T-Cell Alpha members will vote to either retain or reject browndisaster. If a minimum of 67% of the members voting cast a "Yes" vote ("Rejection Quorum"), browndisaster will be removed from the group. If a Rejection Quorum isn't formed, browndisaster will be allowed to remain in the group.

2. Voting will take place for 24 hours or until 67% of the total members vote to reject or retain, whichever occurs first.

3. Revoting will not be permitted for 90 days.

4. To reenter the group, a rejected member must do as follows:

a) wait a period of 90 days.

b) after the 90-day period, be tapped in by an existing member in good standing ]]>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:14:00 GMThttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5572411Goals for 2013http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5499668
Currently standing at 350/287/441 and 187 (keep missing 198 narrowly).

What are your goals? ]]>Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:20:00 GMThttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5499668How's My Form?http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=3894938
You have a lift you want form critique/comments/ballbusting?

I didn't meet all of them, but my squat is much better than it was at this time last year and i am much bigger as well although not all of it is lean. I also managed for the most part to stay mostly injury free aside from this past october. I fell far short of my deadlift goal and my goal for overall leaness changed shortly after i put that down last year. I will be going for the 500lb squat this sunday.

So my goals for 2012 are...

To squat 600 raw, 700 in gear. about 100lbs away from both

To get that 600lb deadlift. about 80lbs away from here.

To get my bench above 350 and avoid shoulder injuries. about 15lbs away

Am I the only nostalgic mofo on this site? What the fuck happened to the once proud brotherhood of iron? When did this once bound by a thirst for growth and hunger for improvement bunch of hardcore animals get infiltrated by a bunch of pussified moronic cry babies?

I spent this morning replying to threads about people being threatened in the parking lot because they were using someone's piece of gym equipment, guys refusing to spot one another in the gym and people actually defending this mindless bullshit. Tell me there is hope after all and the glory days will be once more.

I used to walk into a gym and hang around the big boys just to pick up a tip or two. I trained for years before I finally mustered up enough nerves to ask the biggest guy in the gym in the gym if I could please train with him.

The majority of these wannabe lifters nowadays have no fucking respect for the game anymore and are just taking up gym space if you ask me. Why the fuck do you look surprised when I tell you to get the fuck out my way when you are talking to your girl on your cell phone?

If a guy, who is in the midst of a serious work out, asks you to spot him, you spot him when you are ready to do so. And even if he doesn?t ask you, if he gets crushed under a weight and you are nearby, you spot him.

When some young kid comes to you and asks you a few things, don?t be a total jackass and tell him a few basic things to get him on his way.

When someone is just fucking around, tell him to do things right or go home. If you are serious and want to learn, I have no problem helping you along, just come correct and respect those who have come before you.

It is about time we clean this shit up, I am on a fucking war path to grow and improve and will not be taking any prisoners.

Semper Fi,
A

Link to old thread: http://tnation.T-Nation.com/...ood_of_iron_150 ]]>Thu, 27 Dec 2012 20:56:00 GMThttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5344211Cool Food the BOI Eatshttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=3932605
For the discussion, and explicit viewing of awesome foods we eat, and how to make it (if we cooked/created it ourselves). Preferably 1000 calories or more per meal. If not, it better be DAMN extreme in some manner. Or useful/portable/simple.

Since I don't currently have any pics on my computer of badass things I've eaten, I'll open with a recipe for anybody that needs a convenient protein/calorie packed snack that's cheap, simple to make, and doesn't need refrigeration.

I've written the recipe before, but for anyone who's missed it, I present to you:

Mix that shit up, throw a cover on the container, and there's one batch bitches! Contains about:

40-50 grams fat
25 grams carbs
45 grams protein

Around 600 calories total per batch

If the pic doesn't make the reason for its name obvious, you're stupid. ]]>Mon, 03 Dec 2012 02:19:00 GMThttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=3932605Who the Hell are You?http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=3886676
So as to not clutter up the training threads with me asking everyone for a quick training history rundown, lets do it here:

Am I the only nostalgic mofo on this site? What the fuck happened to the once proud brotherhood of iron? When did this once bound by a thirst for growth and hunger for improvement bunch of hardcore animals get infiltrated by a bunch of pussified moronic cry babies?

I spent this morning replying to threads about people being threatened in the parking lot because they were using someone's piece of gym equipment, guys refusing to spot one another in the gym and people actually defending this mindless bullshit. Tell me there is hope after all and the glory days will be once more.

I used to walk into a gym and hang around the big boys just to pick up a tip or two. I trained for years before I finally mustered up enough nerves to ask the biggest guy in the gym in the gym if I could please train with him.

The majority of these wannabe lifters nowadays have no fucking respect for the game anymore and are just taking up gym space if you ask me. Why the fuck do you look surprised when I tell you to get the fuck out my way when you are talking to your girl on your cell phone?

If a guy, who is in the midst of a serious work out, asks you to spot him, you spot him when you are ready to do so. And even if he doesn?t ask you, if he gets crushed under a weight and you are nearby, you spot him.

When some young kid comes to you and asks you a few things, don?t be a total jackass and tell him a few basic things to get him on his way.

When someone is just fucking around, tell him to do things right or go home. If you are serious and want to learn, I have no problem helping you along, just come correct and respect those who have come before you.

It is about time we clean this shit up, I am on a fucking war path to grow and improve and will not be taking any prisoners.

Semper Fi,
A

Link to old thread: http://tnation.T-Nation.com/...39&pageNo=0 ]]>Wed, 22 Aug 2012 17:44:00 GMThttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5223524The Board of Ironhttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4589953
I thrive on winning, and there's no bigger high for me than celebrating a victory at a big competition or achieving a goal that's been a long time coming. I live for those moments, and I know the only way they're going to happen is if I work harder than everyone else trying to beat me."

- Matt Kroc

BOARD RULES:

1) Be brutally honest with yourself as we do not have a judge to make sure that you make weight on the same day as the lift, don't use wizardry with photoshop, the vid isn't you, etc.

2) Post what lift, weight class with your actual weight, and the record you are going for with a legitimate video demonstrating powerlifting/ olympic lifting meet standards (e.g. depth on squat, pause on bench, etc.)

Am I the only nostalgic mofo on this site? What the fuck happened to the once proud brotherhood of iron? When did this once bound by a thirst for growth and hunger for improvement bunch of hardcore animals get infiltrated by a bunch of pussified moronic cry babies?

I spent this morning replying to threads about people being threatened in the parking lot because they were using someone's piece of gym equipment, guys refusing to spot one another in the gym and people actually defending this mindless bullshit. Tell me there is hope after all and the glory days will be once more.

I used to walk into a gym and hang around the big boys just to pick up a tip or two. I trained for years before I finally mustered up enough nerves to ask the biggest guy in the gym in the gym if I could please train with him.

The majority of these wannabe lifters nowadays have no fucking respect for the game anymore and are just taking up gym space if you ask me. Why the fuck do you look surprised when I tell you to get the fuck out my way when you are talking to your girl on your cell phone?

If a guy, who is in the midst of a serious work out, asks you to spot him, you spot him when you are ready to do so. And even if he doesn?t ask you, if he gets crushed under a weight and you are nearby, you spot him.

When some young kid comes to you and asks you a few things, don?t be a total jackass and tell him a few basic things to get him on his way.

When someone is just fucking around, tell him to do things right or go home. If you are serious and want to learn, I have no problem helping you along, just come correct and respect those who have come before you.

It is about time we clean this shit up, I am on a fucking war path to grow and improve and will not be taking any prisoners.

Am I the only nostalgic mofo on this site? What the fuck happened to the once proud brotherhood of iron? When did this once bound by a thirst for growth and hunger for improvement bunch of hardcore animals get infiltrated by a bunch of pussified moronic cry babies?

I spent this morning replying to threads about people being threatened in the parking lot because they were using someone's piece of gym equipment, guys refusing to spot one another in the gym and people actually defending this mindless bullshit. Tell me there is hope after all and the glory days will be once more.

I used to walk into a gym and hang around the big boys just to pick up a tip or two. I trained for years before I finally mustered up enough nerves to ask the biggest guy in the gym in the gym if I could please train with him.

The majority of these wannabe lifters nowadays have no fucking respect for the game anymore and are just taking up gym space if you ask me. Why the fuck do you look surprised when I tell you to get the fuck out my way when you are talking to your girl on your cell phone?

If a guy, who is in the midst of a serious work out, asks you to spot him, you spot him when you are ready to do so. And even if he doesn?t ask you, if he gets crushed under a weight and you are nearby, you spot him.

When some young kid comes to you and asks you a few things, don?t be a total jackass and tell him a few basic things to get him on his way.

When someone is just fucking around, tell him to do things right or go home. If you are serious and want to learn, I have no problem helping you along, just come correct and respect those who have come before you.

It is about time we clean this shit up, I am on a fucking war path to grow and improve and will not be taking any prisoners.

Semper Fi,
A

And the cycle continues...... ]]>Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:07:00 GMThttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4894546Goals for 2011http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4322081
Alright guys, what do we want to accomplish before the world ends in 2012?

Me-

550+ squat
725+ deadlift
385+ bench
495+ front squat

Bigger arms, shoulders, and hammies. Obviously everything...but those are the priorities. ]]>Sat, 31 Dec 2011 22:08:00 GMThttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4322081Some Thoughtshttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4200966
The beginning of all these threads are started with the quote they are started with for a reason. A reason I'm only really starting to truly understand as it applies to the iron, but it is a reason I fully understand in life.

You are not your job, you are not your car, you are not your numbers in the gym. You are not your designer sunglasses, you are not your lat spread. A man is not defined by his bank account, career or degree of 'fame'. There will come a day when you need to be able to look yourself in the eye, a day when integrity and acting like a man will mean more to you than anything else. make sure when that day comes, you are ready.

Make sure you never make enough progress to look down on others because of it.

Now I'm not saying don't shit on the jackasses, please god do. But if you see some fat kid working hard over in the corner, go over and give the fucker some encouragement. Help him succeed. You seen the same skinny kid coming in every day for 6 months and he is starting to make progress, let him know.

Being part of a brotherhood doesn't end with the people you are familiar and comfortable with. It extends beyond the people that post with you in a thread. Encourage people taking this serious, don't act like a condescending female because you perceive yourself as having made more progress. You very well might not have...

I'm gonna leave you with another great post, edited for relevance.

maraudermeat wrote:
The true elite don't give a fuck what everyone else is doing. They spend their entire time critiquing themselves. They will never live up to their own expectations.

Stop saying you are going to run away and come back in a year to show us all how great you've become. 1. we won't remember who you are when you do come back and 2. Who cares what anyone on an internet site thinks about you. It really is all about your own expectations of yourself.

You aren't special. None of us are. Trust me on this. I used to compete with the sole intention of beating others. That's all i cared about. Then one day the light bulb went off and i realized that there's always going to be someone stronger or bigger than you are. The only way to continue to enjoy what i was doing was to be better than i was previously. I now compete to beat my previous best numbers. I don't care what the other competitors are doing or what their numbers are.

I really hope you take some of what i've said to heart. There's no grey area here. I'm right and you are wrong.

Am I the only nostalgic mofo on this site? What the fuck happened to the once proud brotherhood of iron? When did this once bound by a thirst for growth and hunger for improvement bunch of hardcore animals get infiltrated by a bunch of pussified moronic cry babies?

I spent this morning replying to threads about people being threatened in the parking lot because they were using someone's piece of gym equipment, guys refusing to spot one another in the gym and people actually defending this mindless bullshit. Tell me there is hope after all and the glory days will be once more.

I used to walk into a gym and hang around the big boys just to pick up a tip or two. I trained for years before I finally mustered up enough nerves to ask the biggest guy in the gym in the gym if I could please train with him.

The majority of these wannabe lifters nowadays have no fucking respect for the game anymore and are just taking up gym space if you ask me. Why the fuck do you look surprised when I tell you to get the fuck out my way when you are talking to your girl on your cell phone?

If a guy, who is in the midst of a serious work out, asks you to spot him, you spot him when you are ready to do so. And even if he doesn?t ask you, if he gets crushed under a weight and you are nearby, you spot him.

When some young kid comes to you and asks you a few things, don?t be a total jackass and tell him a few basic things to get him on his way.

When someone is just fucking around, tell him to do things right or go home. If you are serious and want to learn, I have no problem helping you along, just come correct and respect those who have come before you.

It is about time we clean this shit up, I am on a fucking war path to grow and improve and will not be taking any prisoners.

Semper Fi,
A

Link to old thread: http://tnation.T-Nation.com/...ood_of_iron_110 ]]>Sat, 05 Nov 2011 06:43:00 GMThttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4778372Inspiring Weightlifting Videos 1.0http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=3888445
Koing posted this in the Oly Lifting board but I thought everyone could benefit from it.

I realized that I need to bring up my back width (as well as everything else). I was talking to Maiden3.16 and he mentioned working up to a top set, then sticking with that weight for a few sets. So, here's an example:

BB Row:
135 x 10
185 x 10
working sets:
225 x 10
225 x 6
225 x 8

Usually I would've moved on after the first 225 set, but I feel like the extra volume will help my back grow.

This is just one volume technique. What do you guys think, and do you have any other suggestions on bringing up lat/back width? Any good exercises? ]]>Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:22:00 GMThttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4797749Inspirational Imageshttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=3889550
These aren't just "Whose physique do you want" but thats an aspect of it. But its anything that inspires you to train hard. Since this is a Cell hopefully it won't turn into a lot of discussion or just another picture of hot scantily clad chicks. Let's try and keep this one about motivation.

You can add a caption or not.

I'll start obviously, this is one of the first I saw and at the time it just seemed achievable to me. He looks so nonchalant, makes it look so effortless. He also doesn't look incredible huge. Of course now I know how hard it is what he's done and who he is. It still inspires the hell out of me. ]]>Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:04:00 GMThttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=3889550Iron Fuelhttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4473887
What do you guys eat on a typical day? Food is the most anabolic substance, and I wanna see what you guys do. When bulking, here's a normal day of eating for me

Am I the only nostalgic mofo on this site? What the fuck happened to the once proud brotherhood of iron? When did this once bound by a thirst for growth and hunger for improvement bunch of hardcore animals get infiltrated by a bunch of pussified moronic cry babies?

I spent this morning replying to threads about people being threatened in the parking lot because they were using someone's piece of gym equipment, guys refusing to spot one another in the gym and people actually defending this mindless bullshit. Tell me there is hope after all and the glory days will be once more.

I used to walk into a gym and hang around the big boys just to pick up a tip or two. I trained for years before I finally mustered up enough nerves to ask the biggest guy in the gym in the gym if I could please train with him.

The majority of these wannabe lifters nowadays have no fucking respect for the game anymore and are just taking up gym space if you ask me. Why the fuck do you look surprised when I tell you to get the fuck out my way when you are talking to your girl on your cell phone?

If a guy, who is in the midst of a serious work out, asks you to spot him, you spot him when you are ready to do so. And even if he doesn?t ask you, if he gets crushed under a weight and you are nearby, you spot him.

When some young kid comes to you and asks you a few things, don?t be a total jackass and tell him a few basic things to get him on his way.

When someone is just fucking around, tell him to do things right or go home. If you are serious and want to learn, I have no problem helping you along, just come correct and respect those who have come before you.

It is about time we clean this shit up, I am on a fucking war path to grow and improve and will not be taking any prisoners.

With some reading around, and experimenting, I believe what's going to improve them is seated DB pressing, and lateral raise variations, machine or DB versions. I just recently noticed the HUGE strength difference in performing DB OH presses standing and seated...and I think the balance issue is what has mainly held me back here. Here's to fixing that problem, and seeing a bigger bench hopefully! Open to suggestions though.

Am I the only nostalgic mofo on this site? What the fuck happened to the once proud brotherhood of iron? When did this once bound by a thirst for growth and hunger for improvement bunch of hardcore animals get infiltrated by a bunch of pussified moronic cry babies?

I spent this morning replying to threads about people being threatened in the parking lot because they were using someone's piece of gym equipment, guys refusing to spot one another in the gym and people actually defending this mindless bullshit. Tell me there is hope after all and the glory days will be once more.

I used to walk into a gym and hang around the big boys just to pick up a tip or two. I trained for years before I finally mustered up enough nerves to ask the biggest guy in the gym in the gym if I could please train with him.

The majority of these wannabe lifters nowadays have no fucking respect for the game anymore and are just taking up gym space if you ask me. Why the fuck do you look surprised when I tell you to get the fuck out my way when you are talking to your girl on your cell phone?

If a guy, who is in the midst of a serious work out, asks you to spot him, you spot him when you are ready to do so. And even if he doesn?t ask you, if he gets crushed under a weight and you are nearby, you spot him.

When some young kid comes to you and asks you a few things, don?t be a total jackass and tell him a few basic things to get him on his way.

When someone is just fucking around, tell him to do things right or go home. If you are serious and want to learn, I have no problem helping you along, just come correct and respect those who have come before you.

It is about time we clean this shit up, I am on a fucking war path to grow and improve and will not be taking any prisoners.

Chest and calves are my two weakest bodyparts IMO, so I'm gonna blast them hard and get them done as quickly as possible. I've been doing calves 2-3 times/wk, so I only normally do 2 exercises per workout. When they get a bit more developed and I can feel them better, I'll prob back off to 1-2 times/wk and 3-4 exercises per workout.
Saw a discussion on ab training on another site, and thought I'd add Planks back in to my ab training, at least for a month or two. Someone was saying that abdominals are meant more to stabilize more than anything else, so let's see what I can get out of them. ]]>Thu, 26 May 2011 05:21:00 GMThttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4556131Brotherhood of Iron 9.0http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4445586
Am I the only nostalgic mofo on this site? What the fuck happened to the once proud brotherhood of iron? When did this once bound by a thirst for growth and hunger for improvement bunch of hardcore animals get infiltrated by a bunch of pussified moronic cry babies?

I spent this morning replying to threads about people being threatened in the parking lot because they were using someone's piece of gym equipment, guys refusing to spot one another in the gym and people actually defending this mindless bullshit. Tell me there is hope after all and the glory days will be once more.

I used to walk into a gym and hang around the big boys just to pick up a tip or two. I trained for years before I finally mustered up enough nerves to ask the biggest guy in the gym in the gym if I could please train with him.

The majority of these wannabe lifters nowadays have no fucking respect for the game anymore and are just taking up gym space if you ask me. Why the fuck do you look surprised when I tell you to get the fuck out my way when you are talking to your girl on your cell phone?

If a guy, who is in the midst of a serious work out, asks you to spot him, you spot him when you are ready to do so. And even if he doesn?t ask you, if he gets crushed under a weight and you are nearby, you spot him.

When some young kid comes to you and asks you a few things, don?t be a total jackass and tell him a few basic things to get him on his way.

When someone is just fucking around, tell him to do things right or go home. If you are serious and want to learn, I have no problem helping you along, just come correct and respect those who have come before you.

It is about time we clean this shit up, I am on a fucking war path to grow and improve and will not be taking any prisoners.

Semper Fi,
A ]]>Mon, 23 May 2011 21:52:00 GMThttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4445586Adding Glutamine to my Water Jug....http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4549790
I've done some research, and haven't seen anything to suggest that I'm not absorbing it completely or that it could have any adverse effects.
Anyone know anything about this not being as awesome as I'm thinking it is?

I also posted this in "Nutrition." Hope this isn't off-topic, but I just figured BOI would probably be able to give me some better answers. ]]>Sun, 22 May 2011 17:41:00 GMThttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4549790Upcoming Competitionshttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4072992
I'm going to train for the Warrior Dash in Florida on 1/29/2011. I'll be starting training on October 12th (after my sister's wedding)

I'm looking for advice on how to implement a running / fartlek program without losing all the weight I've worked at putting on and while still being able to squat without causing knee injuries. ]]>Thu, 05 May 2011 02:22:00 GMThttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4072992Goals: Members, Read Thishttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=3905268
So. What we're gonna do here is state what our goals are, how far away we are from them (for goals that are number oriented...obviously can't apply to BBers for example), what time frame we plan to accomplish them in, and how we plan to achieve them (condensed version please).

We don't need backgrounds, those have already been covered in another thread. I'll start.

My goals within the next year: (all raw competition goals, no gear...of either variation ;) )

385 bench
555 squat
700 deadlift

If I can achieve these in the 198 lbs weight class it would be awesome, if I have to bump up to the 220's to get them, that'll be ok with me also. I see myself having the hardest time with the bench, as that's always been a problem area for me. But I'm working towards fixing it by bringing up my chest specifically, obviously along with heavy tricep work.

Comp lifts 12 days ago were 330.5 bench, 496 squat, 644.7 deadlift. So these will be hard, but should be doable. ]]>Thu, 14 Apr 2011 19:18:00 GMThttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=3905268Revelationshttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4459246
Share one or two of your (personally) most valuable things you've learned that has helped you to push your limits farther. Me...

-Don't lift for other people. If you lift to impress other people, you'll avoid doing exercises that may hugely benefit you, prevent injuries, help make main lifts stronger, etc. It doesn't look impressive for me to do a couple high rep sets of overhead dumbbell extensions at the end of a workout. Other people probably look, thinking "Damn, that big guy is struggling with a 35 pound dumbbell, he must be all show and no go". But if it strengthens my triceps, allowing me to bench better in the long run, who cares? Remember why you're doing things to begin with. Don't just do them because they look cool, or impressive.

-Boring shit gets you a long way. Eating and training consistently, intelligently, and hard, trump virtually everything in this game. That shit isn't cool. It's not always fun. It can be a drag. But if you ever plan to surpass the norm, you've gotta do it, whether or not anybody is watching. At the same time, don't be the guy that is mortified by the thought of a beer or two, terrified at the prospect of eating a twinkie instead of drinking surge post workout once a month, or never goes out with friends to eat and hang out, for fear of missing a single meal. In the days/weeks leading up to a contest, sure, those things may be necessary. But if you have NO social life, never do anything worry-free, and obsessively stress out about eating exactly every 2.67 hours, consuming 38.5 grams of protein with each meal, you can lose perspective. It can wear you down, you forget why you started taking this so seriously to begin with. Don't be afraid of a good time. Besides, stress is bad for you :)

Your turn. ]]>Mon, 11 Apr 2011 03:22:00 GMThttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4459246Training Programshttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4262783
I'm in the last month of a periodized Glenn Pendlay 5x5 program. My last several months -- roughly since joining the BOI -- have been spent on a Bill Star 5x5. I've seen some excellent results on both, and am at the strongest I've ever been for deadlifts, squats and DB bench. Both programs are posted over at Stronglifts.

I'm getting close to being fried, so I'll probably switch programs after January 15th, which is when I plan on having hit 315 on the deadlift and squat (yes, I know, kind of unbalanced). I'll probably go with an OVT or similar style program, though I've been watching jab1's progress on CT's HPM program with interest. ]]>Fri, 08 Apr 2011 00:18:00 GMThttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4262783Brotherhood of Iron 8.0http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4288837

Amsterdam Animal wrote:

Am I the only nostalgic mofo on this site? What the fuck happened to the once proud brotherhood of iron? When did this once bound by a thirst for growth and hunger for improvement bunch of hardcore animals get infiltrated by a bunch of pussified moronic cry babies?

I spent this morning replying to threads about people being threatened in the parking lot because they were using someone's piece of gym equipment, guys refusing to spot one another in the gym and people actually defending this mindless bullshit. Tell me there is hope after all and the glory days will be once more.

I used to walk into a gym and hang around the big boys just to pick up a tip or two. I trained for years before I finally mustered up enough nerves to ask the biggest guy in the gym in the gym if I could please train with him.

The majority of these wannabe lifters nowadays have no fucking respect for the game anymore and are just taking up gym space if you ask me. Why the fuck do you look surprised when I tell you to get the fuck out my way when you are talking to your girl on your cell phone?

If a guy, who is in the midst of a serious work out, asks you to spot him, you spot him when you are ready to do so. And even if he doesn?t ask you, if he gets crushed under a weight and you are nearby, you spot him.

When some young kid comes to you and asks you a few things, don?t be a total jackass and tell him a few basic things to get him on his way.

When someone is just fucking around, tell him to do things right or go home. If you are serious and want to learn, I have no problem helping you along, just come correct and respect those who have come before you.

It is about time we clean this shit up, I am on a fucking war path to grow and improve and will not be taking any prisoners.

Semper Fi,
A

]]>Sat, 02 Apr 2011 13:26:00 GMThttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4288837February 28th 2011 jak3_dude Call Outhttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4247174
By Monday I'm going to have current pics up and if you guys want it, pics from when I started lifting roughly 2 years ago.
I have an iPhone now, capable of taking pretty good quality videos, so I can have videos up of my lifts on the 28th. Demand those too.

My PB are as follows (although maybe not what I can do right now)
Back Squat: 412lbs for 3 reps
Bench Press: 200lbs for 3 reps
Pull Up: BW+20kg for 3 reps
Snatch: 73kg for 1 rep
Bobyweight: 82.7kg (182lbs)
BF%: who gives a shit

My goals for end of Feb:
Back Squat: 227kg/500lbs for a single
Bench Press: 115kg/275lbs for a single
Pull Up: BW+ 50kg for a single
Snatch: 90kg for a single
BW: 90kg (198lbs)
BF%: Don't really care

I don't really train deadlift, but I guess I can start tracking that too, I would use a hook grip.
I have neglected benching throughout most of my training because it would give me shoulder pain BECAUSE I was using bad technique. Someone on the forums somewhere (pretty sure it was PL section) posted a video of Dave Tate teaching benching technique. It helped a lot and I can say I benched shoulder pain free for the first time over the last couple of weeks. I used to hate the bench, but that video by Tate changed my mind.
I mostly train for fun, but lately it's been...stale...idk, not a lot pushing me to make progress, this will hopefully shake things up and make me accountable for some modicum of progress.
Success or not by end of Feb, I have to start hitting cardio again hard so I don't die this summer in training. Waking up at 4am everyday sucks enough as it is, I don't need a Sergeant yelling at me telling me how out of shape I am because I can't keep pace in runs on top of that, plus, I enjoy outpacing the pacer. ]]>Fri, 04 Mar 2011 05:38:00 GMThttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4247174Show Me Your Best Performanceshttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4062331
I'll start with these movies

Am I the only nostalgic mofo on this site? What the fuck happened to the once proud brotherhood of iron? When did this once bound by a thirst for growth and hunger for improvement bunch of hardcore animals get infiltrated by a bunch of pussified moronic cry babies?

I spent this morning replying to threads about people being threatened in the parking lot because they were using someone's piece of gym equipment, guys refusing to spot one another in the gym and people actually defending this mindless bullshit. Tell me there is hope after all and the glory days will be once more.

I used to walk into a gym and hang around the big boys just to pick up a tip or two. I trained for years before I finally mustered up enough nerves to ask the biggest guy in the gym in the gym if I could please train with him.

The majority of these wannabe lifters nowadays have no fucking respect for the game anymore and are just taking up gym space if you ask me. Why the fuck do you look surprised when I tell you to get the fuck out my way when you are talking to your girl on your cell phone?

If a guy, who is in the midst of a serious work out, asks you to spot him, you spot him when you are ready to do so. And even if he doesn?t ask you, if he gets crushed under a weight and you are nearby, you spot him.

When some young kid comes to you and asks you a few things, don?t be a total jackass and tell him a few basic things to get him on his way.

When someone is just fucking around, tell him to do things right or go home. If you are serious and want to learn, I have no problem helping you along, just come correct and respect those who have come before you.

It is about time we clean this shit up, I am on a fucking war path to grow and improve and will not be taking any prisoners.

Semper Fi,
A

]]>Sat, 08 Jan 2011 22:36:00 GMThttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4143496Routine Critiquehttp://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4179862
Height: 5'10
Weight: 160 and gaining slowly but steadily
Age: 21
Goals: I'm just enjoying lifting and enjoying getting stronger/bigger. I'm 160 right now and want to slowly get up to 180 and reevaluate there. I just started working after graduating and money is tight. I have to go slowly so I can afford to buy new pants along the way!

That's about it. Thanks for the critiques. I've had trouble working around shoulder annoyances, so I've been sticking to the 2 movements that work for me, but understand the shortcomings and my chest is lagging so I do more sets of those movements. Don't like flyes so I might add the decline presses.

I've had issues finding tricep movements that work for me as well, but the pushdown with anything but a rope seems to work out okay.